Screening and Identification of Novel Biomarkers Associated with Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Background: Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the leading cause of death in patients with non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC). However, unclear pathogenesis of cSCC limits the application of molecular targeted therapy. Results: To identify the hub genes in the pathogenesis and progression of cSCC, we downloaded the microarray data sets GSE2503, GSE45164 and GSE66359 from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between tumor and non-tumor tissues. Functional enrichment analysis was performed using DAVID. The STRING online website was used to construct a protein-protein interaction network (PPI), and then Cytoscape performed module analysis and degree calculation. 146 DEGs were identified with significant differences, including 113 up-regulated genes and 33 down-regulated genes. The enriched functions and pathways of the DEGs include microtubule-based movement, ATP binding, cell cycle, p53 signaling pathway, oocyte meiosis and PLK1 signaling events. Nine hub genes were identified, namely CDK1, AURKA, RRM2, CENPE, CCNB1, KIAA0101, ZWINT, TOP2A, ASPM. The differential expression of these genes has been verified in other data sets. In addition, the ROC curve also confirmed their ability to predict disease. Conclusion: By integrated bioinformatic analysis, the DEGs and hub genes identified in this study elucidated the molecular mechanism of the pathogenesis and progression of cSCC, and are expected to become future biomarkers or therapeutic targets.